Her head still spinning from her victory Saturday that thrust her on to the Second City Court bench in Algiers, E. "Teena" Anderson-Trahan spent Tuesday morning planning a transition from her private law practice to a six-year term as a judge. The second-place finisher in the Nov. 6 primary, Anderson-Trahan beat Kiana Aaron-Mitchell by 266 votes, in a race that took a dark turn on the eve of election day, when voters received a hit piece in the mail that exploited Aaron-Mitchell's minor run-in with the law six years ago.

Teena Anderson-Trahan

Early next month, Anderson-Trahan, who ran largely on her legal experience and her roots as a seventh-generation Algiers resident, will take the oath of office and replace retiring Judge Mary "KK" Norman at the Algiers Courthouse.

"I'm still reeling in it," Anderson-Trahan said of the victory. "I'm so excited. I'm humbled. I'm elated. I don't believe it."

As judge, she will preside over small claims, civil cases involving amounts up to $25,000, tenant-landlord disputes and, soon, appeals of municipal red light traffic tickets.

Anderson-Trahan received 53 percent of the ballots cast Saturday, winning 24 of Algiers' 40 precincts and besting Aaron-Mitchell by 266 votes, according to unofficial returns.

Often seen campaigning at Algiers' major intersections, and at one point waving to motorists aside a man dressed as Santa, Anderson-Trahan attributed the win to her focusing on her core base of support, including her neighbors and former classmates. "I was always encouraged when I was on the street," she said.

Aaron-Mitchell emerged the frontrunner in the Nov. 6 primary, with 35 percent of the ballots in the election that fielded six candidates. She beat Anderson-Trahan by 1,818 votes in the primary, a margin that shrunk extensively in the runoff, returns show. She went into the runoff with endorsements from two challengers, along with Mayor Mitch Landrieu and District C Councilwoman Kristin Palmer.

Aaron-Mitchell attributed the loss in part to the hit piece that arrived in voters' mailboxes Friday. Mailed from Washington D.C. and paid for by "B. Hood," she said the piece distorted a Sept. 30, 2006, incident involving a custody confrontation with her husband's ex-wife, Val Bracy, a former FOX8 television reporter who was pregnant at the time she turned up at her Algiers home unannounced.

The piece included images of the New Orleans police citation, much of which was redacted. Aaron-Mitchell said her home address and her driver's license number were not redacted.

Aaron-Mitchell disclosed the incident to The Times-Picayune early in the campaign, calling it "an embarrassing snapshot in my life." She said word of the citation began circulating before the primary.

A snapshot of a hit piece targeting Kiana Aaron-Mitchell that was anonymously sent to Algiers voters.Paul Purpura, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Circulated publicly when it was, Aaron-Mitchell said her campaign rushed to counter the damage with letters delivered to supporters' homes and robocalls. But it was largely too late.

"It's not true," Aaron-Mitchell said of the accusation that New Orleans police booked her and that she committed a battery on a pregnant woman. "They totally took a moment in my life and blew it out of proportion. There was no arrest. They knew there was no physical altercation."

Bracy could not be reached for comment, although Aaron-Mitchell's husband, attorney Craig Mitchell, on Wednesday released a signed statement attributed to the former television news reporter.

"I want you to know that this incident involved a personal matter between my ex-husband and a child custody issue which has long since been resolved," Bracy said in the statement. "I was not 'beaten up' or injured in any way and Kiana had no way of knowing I was even pregnant at the time of this unfortunate incident. All charges against all parties were quickly dismissed."

Aaron-Mitchell said she hoped to confirm who was behind the hit piece. "There's an extreme presumption that someone affiliated with the campaign of my opponent prepared the attack," Aaron-Mitchell said Monday.

Anderson-Trahan denied association with the hit-piece, although she acknowledged that the police report was circulated anonymously among candidates early in the race.

"I had nothing to do with it," Anderson-Trahan said. Of B. Hood's identity, she said, "I have no idea of who that is."

Aaron-Mitchell said she was "extremely disappointed" by "the desperation that I saw in the 99th hour" of the campaign.

"We have to do something in Louisiana to stop this last-minute, day-before-the-election ability to attack based on non-factual information," she said.

Craig Mitchell said in an e-mail Wednesday that a request under the Freedom of Information Act has been sent to the U.S. Postal Service in an attempt to determine who had the mailing permit for the hit piece, and a public records request has been sent to NOPD in an attempt to learn who requested and obtained the police reports.

"Neither I, my wife nor Ms. Bracy anticipate any further comment on this matter in this particular forum," he wrote.

NOTE: This story contains information provided Wednesday that was added to the version initially published on Tuesday, and provides a correct spelling for Bracy.